Seam-ripper.



' 'PA'TENTED MAR. -1, 1904.

M. J. BAGON.

S EAM RIPPER.

APPLICATION I'ILED APR. 20, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

In Van for Witnesseu v 0., WASHINGTON n c Patented March 1, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN J. BACON, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SEAM-RIPP'ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 753,655, dated March 1,

Application filed April 20, 1903. Serial No. 153,410. (No model.)

Toall whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, MARTIN J. BAcoN,acitizen-of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Seam- Rippers; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for severing the thread or stitching by which the meeting surfaces of two parts of a fabric are united to form a seam. Its chief object is to provide a simple practical tool for rapidly accomplishing this work and one which will require but little skill and 0ccasion but a minimum amount of fatigue on the part of the operator to manipulate it.

It consists of the parts and the construction fully described, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l showsa solid shank with a seamripping or knife edge at one end and-the other end engaging a bracket. Fig. 2 shows a shank portion consisting of two spring members, which form a seam-ripper.

In Fig. 1 the device comprises a shank A,;

having a tang 2 at one end to engage a socket of an ordinary handle or removably to seat in a clamp bra'cket, as 3, or other suitable holder to be described hereinafter. The other end of the shank isblade-shaped, as at a, toconstitute the seam cutting and guiding means. The upper edge of the blade or has a-rounded knife-edge projection 4 for the purpose of first cutting the thread to start the seam at any intermediate point. The end of the blade is formed with a notch 5, having a short blunted overhanging wall portion 6, a narrow blunt-pointed lower wall prolongation 7 continuous with the curved under edge of .the. blade, and an intermediate concaved knifeedge portion 8. The notch 5 is adapted to receive the material to be ripped, the overhanging wall 6 acting as a guide to press down on the threads and hold them in engagement with the ripping portion 8 and the attenuated under projection 7 serving as a finder between the adjacent edges of the sewed fabric and coacting to guide the thread upward against the knife.

In Fig. 2 the device comprises a shank portion consisting of two spring members formed from a piece of spring-steel centrally bent upon itself and the ends drawn into the desired shape to constitute the seam cutting and guiding means, while the intermediate portion is adapted as a handle to be grasped by the operator. The ends of the spring members are shaped as separable bladesections, the two sections a 0& of the blade disposed in the same plane and adapted normally to be pressed tightly together and having interlocking means on their contiguous edges to prevent lateral disarrangement. These means are here shown as comprising a projection 9 on one-section engaging a corresponding recessin the other. The upper edge of section a of the blade has a rounded knife-edge seamstarter 4:, and its under edge slightly overhangs section a to afford aguide-wall 6 to notch 5, which latter is formed between the two sections. The two sections cooperate in holding and guiding the goods relative to the cutter 8 in precisely the same manner as described in connection with the device shown in Fig. 1. The stiffness of the springs is sufficient to press the blade-sections together to prevent the threads passing or pinching between the sections. The object in making the device of this spring character is to enable the cutting edge 8 to be easily sharpened. For this purpose the springs are separated and held apart by some instrumentas, for instance, a lead-pencil-inserted between the sections to allow sufiicient space for the operation of the grinding or sharpening tool.

In practice if the seam is to be started at some point intermediate of its ends the threads are severed by the cutting portion 4 for a distance of half an inch or so or suflicient freely toadmit the point 7. The instrument is turned over, the point 7 inserted beneath the seam, and then by simply holding the two edges of the severed cloth taut with one hand and guiding the tool in the line of the seam with the ing device, as shown in Fig. 1.

other the seam is ripped with the utmost rapidity and ease, with no danger to the cloth and without strain on the eyes of the operator.

Where it is desired to attach the ripper to a'sewing-machine or table and advance the cloth relative to the ripper, I provide a hold- This comprises the clamp 3, previously referred to, and a fabric-support consisting of the two ,conjoined guides 10, disposed parallel with and one on either side of and extending beyond the ripper and removably secured to clamp 3. The ends of guides 10 are blunted and curved downwardly to offer no obstruction to the feed of the cloth. The guides are substantially in the plane of the notch 5, so that the seam will be presented in proper relation to the ripper edge 8 when the two portions of cloth are stretched over the guides in a manner easily understood.

It is obvious that the specific form of holder and support may be changed without material variance from the, principle herein embodied.

This form of device is applicable where a great deal of ripping is to be done or where the goods are of heavy unwieldy character, and two hands may be employed more advantageously in guiding the seam against the stationary knife than to endeavor to rip the seam with the previously-described hand-tools.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A seam-ripper comprising a shank the forward end of which is provided with a rounded projection made sharp-edged and extending above the plane of the body portion, said front end having, also, an inclined concaved knife-edge portion which extends from a point just back of the extreme front of the lower side of the shank to a point back of the place of beginning of the front of the rounded projection whereby a notch is' formed just under the front end of the projection and a projecting finger is formed at the lower end of said inclined concaved portion.

2. A seam-ripper comprising two normally engaging spring-pressed bladesections, the lower section having a terminal cutting edge and lower guide therefor, the upper section overhanging said cutting edge and forming cooperating guide means to the said lower guide, and intervening members between the sections to prevent lateral disarrangement thereof.

3. A seam-ripper comprising two spring members, normally engaging blade-sections carried by said members and disposed in substantially the same plane, oneof said members having a projection and the other member havinga recess for the projection whereby lateral displacement of the members is avoided, and cutting means carried by said sections.

4. The combination with a suitably-supported seam -ripper having a terminal cutting edge and upper and lower cooperating guide members, 'of parallel supports disposed on either side of said ripper and in substantially the same plane with the axis. thereof whereby the cloth may be supported relative to said cutting edge.

5. The combination with a seam-ripper having a stationary cutter and cooperating upper and lower guides of asupport therefor, asupport for the cloth carried by said first-named support, said cloth-support comprising two united parallel members disposed one on either side of the ripper and in substantially the same plane therewith.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

MARTIN J. BACON.

Witnesses:

S. H. Nonnsn, JESSIE C. BRODIE. 

